Steve Parker Motoring / The Car Nut

GM/CHRYSLER MERGE? 70,000 MAY BE IDLED; NEW "GEN II" FORD HYBRIDS; CHRYSLER KILLS HEMI HYBRIDS; CHEVY CRUZE'S LATE ARRIVAL; GMAC WANTS BAILOUT

Chrysler has ended production of its first two gas/electric hybrids, only about two months after they started arriving in dealerships.

Production of the Chrysler Aspen/Dodge Durango Hemi hybrid SUVs began this August. But the two were pre-doomed to a short lifespan, having been made at Chrysler's Newark, DE, plant, which was originally scheduled to close at the end of 2009, the closure now moved forward to the end of 2008, along with 1,000 lay-offs --  just in time for the holiday season. How thoughtful of management.

(Above - Cutaway view of the Dodge Durango hybrid; actually, the proper term for this kind of artwork is "ghost view," which is entirely appropriate since Chrysler's just killed their only two Hemi hybrids; Below, another ghost view, this of a 1982 Dodge Aries, one of the great K-cars which saved Chrysler the last time they almost went out of business, and using Photoshop-like magic of the times, called airbrushing, or "phony-ing-up-a-shot" was the only way to get six adults into that car; Below left, the 2009 Dodge Challenger shown at the New York Auto Show last April).

It wasn't hard to predict the demise of these "Hemi hybrids," but the end came a lot faster than even we   had expected. We think that at least they should have given them a full year of production before, literally, pulling the plug.

Chrysler's hybrid system was very similar to that in the large GM SUVs and pickups; what was then DaimlerChrysler along with BMW and GM developed the "dual mode hybrid" system which involves electric motors in the transmission and large storage batteries. Most of the R&D was done in Europe; similar systems have been used on medium to large buses for several years, and engineers "shrunk" it all small enough to fit full-size trucks, and we hope cars are next.

News from GM has the South Korean market version of what someday will be the Chevrolet Cruze going on-sale in its home market.

Click below to learn more about Chevy's Cruze, Ford's "new and improved" hybrids, the real human cost of a GM/Chrysler merger and GMAC wanting badly to be a bank to get access to at least some of all that bailout money floating around Washington.

PREVIEW - SEMA AND LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOWS!

Auto show season is about to begin in earnest throughout the US, with the Los Angeles Auto Show now officially the first big one on the national calendar, opening Friday, November 21st and running until Sunday, November 30th – and wide-open all through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Another show which opens sooner, the annual SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in Las Vegas, sets the stage for car and truck performance enthusiasts with exhibits of new products from about 2,000 of SEMA’s 7,000 member companies around the globe. The show (admittance to the trade, only) opens next Tuesday, November 4th (election day, so we’re voting early this year and look forward to celebrating with other Obama enthusiasts in Las Vegas that night) and runs though Friday, the 4th. More than 100,000 people attend the SEMA Show annually, making it the largest private trade show of any kind in Las Vegas. More than 1,500 new products consistently debut at the SEMA Show each year. (Photos above and below right, Dodge's Challenger with its roof removed by a Florida company and a supercharged Hemi V8 producing 560 horsepower; below left, at the 2007 LA Auto Show, Honda's hydrogen-fueled fuel cell EV FCX sedan was the star - along with Honda robot Asimo, seen above the car on the video screen - who will the Hollywood-style celebrity be this year? We'll find out in just a few more days ...).

Founded in 1963, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is a trade and lobbying association dedicated “to helping companies within the automotive specialty-equipment industry.” What used to be called “the hot rod business” has grown into what is now estimated to be a $36.7 billion industry.

Both shows will be bellwether events this year. We’ll see how much gas prices, environmental considerations and the world financial crisis effects SEMA exhibitors, and, at the LA Auto Show, see what the car-makers themselves choose to present to the public as their plans for future cars and trucks. We’ll be attending both and will report on them in this space, along with easily accessible and downloadable video from both shows.

One vehicle we’ll see at SEMA which is already getting a lot of press is a convertible version of Dodge’s 2009 Challenger, a retro throwback to Challenger cars originally produced from 1970 to 1974. This SEMA-only car is equipped with a supercharger making 560 horsepower from the car’s 6.1-liter Hemi V8 engine. A Florida-based company, Coach Builders Ltd., which claims to be “the oldest aftermarket convertible converter in the country,” is making this one-off car. While it sounds exciting, we doubt it’s the answer to America’s economic and gas price problems.

Click below for more on what's upcoming at SEMA and the LA Auto Show - And be sure to let us know what you think will be the big stories, too! And be sure to check back here for plenty of video and photo albums from both shows!

NHTSA: FORD'S GOT CHINESE FLU! DANGEROUS KNOCK-OFFS AT AUTOMECHANIKA AND SEMA? KERKORIAN DUMPS FORD; GAS DOWN, DRIVING DOWN, TOO

There’s good news, bad news and – finally – some smart, encouraging news by and for American drivers.

First off, we’re planning our road trips to the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas (starts on election day, so we’re voting this week) and then the Los Angeles Auto Show’s media days, exactly three weeks after SEMA begins.

(Top - Never know what you'll run into at SEMA, like the pointy-end of a Bonneville streamliner LSR racer; 2008 SEMA Show also featured this American Suzuki outfitted-for-rally-racing car).

For those who don’t know, SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is a trade and lobbying group which represents all the major car-makers and literally thousands of supplier firms specializing in performance and appearance upgrades, from fuzzy dice and roof racks to replacement engines and superior electronics of all kinds. At SEMA, a lot of the fun is seeing mom-and-pop operations which make some specific, esoteric race car part sit alongside giants like Edelbrock, Flowtech and retailers like AutoZone.

We’ve been going to SEMA Shows for over 20 years, and the past few we’ve been amazed at the  large number of Chinese companies displaying their wares there, both from Taiwan and that other, bigger China (the one with the Olympics), and mostly focused on selling wheels and tires. A lot of them.

Now there may be problems with some of those products. And for anyone who remembers the Ford Explorer/Firestone Tire scandal of some years back, the following might bring back some not-very-fond memories.

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has opened a preliminary evaluation to "assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences" of an alleged defect in tires on some Ford products. Defect investigations can lead to vehicle recalls.

The investigation concerns more than 1 million Ford vehicles after receiving reports of tires leaking air from faulty valve stems made by a Chinese company. Ford has received some complaints but no reports of crashes or injuries.

Click below for more on Ford and possible problems with their Chinese tire valve stems, Kirk Kerkorian dumping Ford stock just six months after buying it, possibly dangerous knock-offs sold at Automechanika and maybe SEMA - and the Good News: Nope, it ain't 'bout no religion, but 'bout us: Gas prices go down, but we're still driving less!

LATE CAR PAYMENTS? DON'T FRET YET - READ THIS FIRST!

While the focus of government bail-outs has been on subprime home mortgages, Americans are also late in making their car and truck payments to the tune of $25 billion and probably more. And if you’ve already had a vehicle repossessed, you’re not alone; industry experts say we’ll see a record number of repo’s this year, as many as an astounding two million of them. (Above, unless you want to see a bunch of thugs like these jerks in your driveway at 2am, repo'ing your car, it makes sense to first, talk with your lender).

But there is cause for hope, with new rules which could allow people to keep their vehicles, late- pay or not, and possibly even get repo’d cars and trucks back from the bank or lender. In the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the so-called Bail-Out Bill, the treasury secretary is authorized to “purchase troubled assets from any financial institution.”

Treasury Secretary Paulson can now buy-up anything and everything from home mortgages to car loans, insurance policies to stocks to bonds. The government then holds these designated troubled assets until private firms again want to own them.

I think it’s probable that late car and truck loans and even leases will be labeled as troubled assets.

(Above, an Alcoa facility at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy; not what comes to mind when thinking "wonder where they design those cars...?").

The auto industry, worldwide, is getting slammed as our economy moves towards official recession and possibly a Second Great Depression in the next few months.

Many prospective car-buyers find they now can’t get financing. Last week, finance giant GMAC announced they won’t loan to  any potential car-buyer with an under-700 FICO score. Dealers are saying that more than 40% of their customers now can't get financing from GMAC. Car dealers can’t get financing either, which they need to buy the cars and trucks they need from the factories to put in their showrooms and sell.

Click below for more on keeping your car or truck if you've gotten behind in your payments - You're not the only one!

EPA's 2009 top ten; Dodge's Hemi Hybrids tout mpg; New Corvette "on indefinite hold"

How serious are the problems facing the Detroit Three?

This serious: General Motors’ Chevrolet Division has put the next-generation Corvette, the C7, on indefinite hold.

GM Inside News reports, “Well-placed sources have confirmed GM has put the next-generation C7 Corvette program on hold, pending a review of the impact of the 35-mpg CAFE laws due to come into effect in 2020.

“The problem for GM is that, while 35 mpg is the target for 2020, automakers have no idea what the transitional fuel-consumption targets are in the interim. In other words, they have no idea how they should be planning to get from today's CAFE number to 2020's. Transitional fuel-consumption targets are not expected to be finalized until the end of 2009.” (Above, Corvette's 2009 ZR1 supercar, cutaway of the ZR1's LS9 engine, Below, Corvette Z06 and bottom, Corvette C6.R, the racing branch of the family tree).

It’s not like the current Corvette, the C6 edition (the sixth generation car since its introduction in 1953, which used a straight-six cylinder truck engine called Blue Flame and a two-speed automatic transmission) is lacking for horsepower or excitement.

The current base C6 uses the 6.0 Liter LS2 engine. The V8 produces 400-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 400 ft-lb of torque at 4,400 rpm. Its redline is set at 6, 500 rpm.

The upgraded C6 Z06 model has a 7.0 Liter V8. Officially certified output is 505-horsepower, much more than Mustang and comparable to Dodge’s Viper. I’ve had the pleasure of driving both models on city streets, wide-open highways and race tracks, and “kick in the pants” doesn’t do either Corvette justice.

Finally, the biggest, baddest Corvette available is the ZR1. GM’s announced target of 100-horsepower-per-liter has been reached by a new engine, LS9. That’s a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 producing a confirmed 638-horsepower and 604 foot-pounds of torque with a sticker price of about US $100,000. Its top speed is 205 miles per hour. The engine is the most powerful ever in an American production car. ZR1 costs $100,000 and only 2,000 of them will be made.

The C6.R racing version of the Corvette has acquitted itself very well in races ranging from the 24 Hours of LeMans to the 12 Hours of Sebring. Development driving for the Z06 and ZR1 models was done at Germany’s Nurburgring, a 3.2-mile 16-turn race track built in the 1920s and which was once nearly 18-miles in length.

Click below for the EPA's 2009 Top Ten in fuel mileage, the real story on Chrysler's and Dodge's "Hemi Hybrids" and more on Corvette!

TESLA LAY-OFFS, REPO'S TO HIT RECORD, GM PUSHES FINANCING, U.S. CAR MARKET COULD DROP 25%

Two more pieces of bad news today facing carmakers, dealers and us ... car-buyers and owners: Repossessions are set to break records, while industry analyst J.D. Power and Associates says the country is headed towards losing as much as 25% in total car and trucks sales for this year, from a somewhat steady 16 million to possibly below 12 million when the 2008 model year closes. (Above, Fisker Automotive displays their White Star EV sedan at some auto show. Read below to understand what's going on between Tesla and Fisker. It ain't pretty. Dodge won't like our using this PR photo to illustrate our theme of "repossession," but what the heck, right? Makes their trucks look good! Below, a supercharged Chevy Cobalt takes-on the twisties; if GM built 10 more cars this size, this much fun and this inexpensive, we wouldn't be playing the game, "Which Detroit company might survive?" so much these days).

Also, California's Tesla Motors has announced lay-offs from their company, which was formed to manufacture all-electric vehicles.

Here's a record which no one wanted to see set this or any year: Most vehicles repossessed in a year -- about 1.9 million, industry journal Automotive News reports.

Through September, repossessions of new and used vehicles rose more than 15 percent from the year-ago period, estimates say. That increase in repos follows an 8 percent rise from 2006 to last year.

In addition to some reckless lending practices, high gasoline prices and a generally bleak economy are also behind the problem. Also this year, newer, costlier vehicles like luxury cars and full-sized SUVs make up a larger share of the repossessed units.

When a vehicle is repossessed, lenders rather than dealers take the loss. But dealerships with a high percentage of repossessions could feel pressure from their lenders, making it harder for that dealer's prospective car-buyers to get loans.

Click below for more on repossessions (try locking your car in your garage, then call the cops when the repo guys arrive, unless they're shooting a Reality Show), GM tries hard to get buyers into showrooms, Tesla lay-offs ... and even more!

EURO UPDATE - CHRYSLER DEALERS ANGRY, VW BUYING-OUT SMALL DEALERS, DEATH OF A NEO-FASCIST

Chrysler's CEO, Robert Nardelli, who has been running the company for just 14 months, fears the collapse of an "extremely fragile" auto industry amid the credit crisis and Wall Street meltdown. Nardelli said federal officials, preoccupied with trying to unfreeze credit, don't appreciate the importance of the auto industry. (Above, Neo-fascist Joerg Haider of Austria was alone when his car went off the road, killing him in the wreck; Below, "Smilin' Bob" Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler, thinks there might be some problems in the auto industry).

Nardelli is nothing if not a "master of the obvious." His statements show why appointing someone with no relevant experience to the highest position of an American industrial giant was a huge mistake. Chrysler owner Cerberus (at least they still owned it as of midnight Monday, Pacific Coast time) now wants "out" of the car business as soon as a buyer or merger partner can be found (or coerced).

One group Nardelli will be hearing a lot from is a new organization representing Chrysler's 700 European dealers. Since the Daimler-Chrysler merger was ended when Cerberus bought Chrysler from Daimler, the company's Euro dealers feel they lost any juice they had with Chrysler executives in the US (Highland Park, MI, to be specific).

European sales of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models fell by 11.7 percent to 70,407 units in the first eight months of 2008; the company's minivans and larger Jeep models, like Commander and Grand Cherokee, are surprisingly popular in Europe.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, has a 1,200-strong franchised dealer network in Germany, and is offering smaller dealers cash to close their doors. According to industry journal Automotive News, VW only wants large dealers  selling 1,000 to 1,200 new cars a year. Currently, average annual sales for a VW dealer is between 300 and 400.

Click below to find out more about what's happening "over there" ... and the latest on the death of yet another Hitler-lover ...

ONE CAR COMPANY - AMERICA'S BEST ANSWER?

Over a week ago, we posted on this site about the possibility of two, or even all three of the Detroit Three, GM, Ford and Chrysler, merging in some fashion.

Now our prediction is coming to life, a prediction based on our analysis of the realities of the world's economy and the auto industry. And one more, newer reality: That no company is, as the Los Angeles Times was still calling GM and Chrysler on Friday, "too big to fail."

GM and Chrysler are talking merger. Ford is publicly denying any merger interest, but the Times  of London website reported late Saturday night that Ford has also quietly approached GM. (Above, Dodge's 1997 Copperhead concept turned heads at car shows across the country, but with a car called Viper still in production, and which is now for sale, the financial case for a production Copperhead couldn't be made; Center, Mazda's Kiyora concept, on display this week at the Paris Car Show, Below, the 2006 version of the Ford Escape, the only Ford currently available with a gas-electric hybrid engine).

If the Detroit Three were to merge into one company, ownership shared with the American people, it could benefit everyone; the carmakers, their dealers and their customers. A single company could be in a better credit position to borrow needed cash, and - crucially - it would be able to take advantage of the entire $25 billion taxpayer bailout which has already begun to "trickle down" into Detroit Three bank accounts.

What might a merged Detroit Three look like?

GM, Chrysler and Ford employ about 400,000 people in the US, with over 150 plants and more than 14,000 dealerships in North America.

Ford also owns 33% of Mazda and is said to be shopping around for buyers for all or part of their stake. Ford has taken little if any advantage of the great engineering minds at Mazda. For all the good Ford has gotten, they might as well sell.

Ford offers buyers exactly one gas-electric hybrid: Their old, truck-based Escape SUV. Well, two, if you count Mercury's Escape twin, the Mariner hybrid (used by President and Mrs. Clinton, with Secret Service approval).

For more on what America could look like making a fresh start with the Detroit Three merged into "Detroit One," click below ...

HYBRID, CLEAN DIESEL, ALT-FUEL TAXIS IN OUR FUTURE? MAYBE NOT ...

Cleaning-up the air is always in everyone’s best interest, and one big way to make an impact on air quality is for a community or city (or nation) to mandate the use of alternative fuels or gas/electric hybrids for public transportation and taxis. A battle involving these kinds of vehicles is shaping-up in New York City, and what comes of it will have far-reaching consequences for cities around the world – and air quality.

Back in the 1960s, I remember Life Magazine cover stories about the growing air pollution problem in the world’s big cities, including and especially Tokyo. Japan’s largest city  had what was then some of the world’s worst air.

According to cleanairnet.org,  in Japan, 260,000 taxis, 94 percent of the total number of taxis in  the country, use LPG as their fuel. The mandated use of propane resulted in cleaner air and freed Japan’s taxis from having to rely on imported oil and gasoline. These days, Mount Fuji, about 80 miles south of Tokyo, is often visible from the capital, a big change there from the ‘60s and ‘70s. (Above and below, a Toyota Prius gas/electric hybrid in line for fares at the main train station of all Japan, Tokyo Station, Steve Parker photos; Center, This Chrysler PT Cruiser is dressed for work; its small engine gets good mileage and is light on emissions, too, but don't know about stuffing 5 or 6 people and their luggage into one of these).

What’s at stake in a battle between all the principals involved – carmakers, a powerful NYC commission and other varied and interested parties - is the use of alt fuel and hybrid cars and trucks as taxis there, home to the biggest fleet of cabs in the US. In fact, There are 13,087 taxis operating in New York City, not including over 40,000 other for-hire vehicles.

The battle is all over the bulletproof plastic partition, mandated by law in NYC, which separate the driver from his or her fares, and its possible effect on airbags and other passive and active safety devices.

Toyota and Honda have issued outright warnings against using their hybrid vehicles as commercial cabs. In addition, Ford, General Motors and Nissan have refused to certify the crashworthiness of their hybrid taxis, modified with mandatory partitions. Instead, the automakers shifted that responsibility to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which has shifted it to the federal government -- which does not require automakers to crash test vehicles modified with the hard, bulletproof taxi partitions.

Click below for more on NYC cabs and why the whole world is watching this fight to make hybrids, clean-diesels and other alternative-fuel vehicles legal to be taxicabs in New York City ...

GM, OnStar --- PUSHING OUR PRIVACY ENVELOPE?

General Motors' OnStar service could mean car thieves are in for a big surprise. But first, the company's OnStar subscribers will need to ask themselves if they really want such a potentially intrusive system in their cars and trucks.

"Sure they will ... Why not?" is a tough argument to beat when a feature like this is made possible by technology. But where do we draw the line? When is enough technology ... just that - enough? Okay, so you decide. If you have a GM car or truck, it's a decision you'll eventually have to make in the real world, anyway.

Starting with about 20 models for 2009, OnStar will be able to slow a car that is reported stolen,  and the radio may even speak up and tell the thief to pull over because police are watching. If police spot the crook in your car, they can send a signal which would halt the vehicle altogether, and let the police do their thing. (Above, Pontiac's 2009 Solstice hardtop concept from the NY Auto Show; Center, GM CEO Rick Wagoner, l, greets CES CEO Gary Shapiro at CES 2008 in Las Vegas, annually the tech world's biggest new product showcase, and they share the stage with the Chevrolet/GM Volt).

Many in the auto industry have considered the possibility of OnStar being able to provide this kind of a service, and there are stories of GM and police agencies having tested and developed the system until now, when The General feels they can provide this service safely to all involved – and charge for it, too. Finally, they've gone public with one of the best-known secrets in the car world.

OnStar already finds 700 to 800 cars per month using its GPS, or global positioning system. Most of those requests are from people who simply forgot where they parked. But the odd stolen vehicle case has made OnStar into a hero on occasion.

Here’s how GM says it would work:

Car owners must first report the theft to police and then contact OnStar to request tracking. If the owner has not previously opted out of the service, OnStar will then report the location of the vehicle to police.

Now, can’t you already imagine the conversations with the poor schnooks who didn’t check the right box when they were sold the OnStar service, or was “opted out” mistakenly? “Hey, okay, I’ll pay whatever it is! Put it on my credit card! GM already has that! Just do it --- and NOW! Please … Geez, there they go … with my brand-new ‘Slade … Man, my wife is gonna kill me”.

Click below for more on how GM says the OnStar system can almost literally drive crooks to their local police station ...

CLEAN DIESELS GOING FAST - BETTER GET YOURS NOW!

Clean-Diesels - They're Here!

Carmakers are blowing the dust off some of their oldest marketing plans to get we American-types interested in cars and trucks outfitted with new, clean-diesel engines. And some of those plans call for using racing to get "clean-diesels" into the minds of a younger generation of car-buyers who don't remember GM's debacle with diesel engines from 1978 through 1985; they're also using a modern-day version of the old "Mobil Economy Run" (remember that?) to make their point about the new engines.

(Above, Various Audi models, some with a 2-liter clean-diesel engine, others with a 3-liter model, ready for a cross-country trip; Audi hopes it to be a record-setting jaunt which buyers will remember; what's funny is that the skyline in the background is Los Angeles, where the "race" ends, and not NYC, where the event actually started; Below, VW has created an entire racing series to promote their 2009 Jetta TDI clean-diesel).

- At 9AM, October 6th, a fleet of 23 clean-diesel Audis were slated to leave Manhattan's Tavern on the Green (in NYC's Central Park) on a trans-continental trek demonstrating clean-diesel efficiency;

- Volkswagen has created an entire racing series based around their clean-diesel Jetta TDI in Canada and the US. Thirty factory-prepared and maintained 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDIs are being piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, aged 16 to 26 (16?!);

- VW recently sponsored an American couple on a "diesel tour" of the Lower 48, and their Jetta TDI managed 58.82 miles per gallon, enough to get it into Guinness' Book of World Records. The couple (still married, a miracle of sorts in itself) took 20 days to cover 9,419 miles, and not using "slow as you go, hyper-miling" tricks, either.  They stayed within 5-mph of the speed limit whenever possible.

Having driven a Geo Metro from Hollywood (corner of Sunset and Van Ness, the KTLA/TV5 studio lot) to Las Vegas - and back - on one tank of gas, I can attest to how tiring such a trip can be. Unlike the couple in the VW event, though, we were hyper-miling as much as possible. And in a very stock automobile, even one with a 1-liter, 3-cylinder engine, we found ourselves drafting every big rig we could, making the trip at an average speed of about 45 mph. Maybe. Running several hundred miles on I-15, which goes through some of the most boring parts of the desert, is bad enough at 85; take it from me, you don't want to do it at 45. From 1990 through '94, the Metro was built in Canada by Suzuki.

Volkswagen's Jetta TDI clean-diesel is being delivered to showrooms now, and might even be found in some if a potential buyer is willing to work their iPhone to track one down (we can imagine executive assistants throughout Hollywood being so ordered by their publicly-green bosses). Will Leonardo pull-up to the next Oscar ceremony in a clean-diesel VW? Maybe an Audi?

This is no green-scam, but a reality. While these new clean-diesels keep the benefits of diesel engines, they also lose their sorriest and most-memorable negatives.

(Actually, that is a Geo Metro above, but one I shot with my iPhone as I passed an accident scene on I-10, somewhere in California's "Inland Empire," and while some might think the side of the road is the best place for any Geo, they are becoming, as used cars, favorites of the hyper-miling crowd; The second shot, below, more-closely resembles the 1992 Geo Metro coupe we drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back on one tank of gas).

Click below for more on all the clean-diesels - cars and trucks - which will be in a showroom near you - and soon, too!

DODGERS WIN, OJ LOSES - A PERFECT WORLD, OR WHAT?

When it rains, it pours!

Over the course of less than 48 hours, two Los Angeles legends, OJ Simpson and the Dodgers, both found themselves getting what they deserve. For we Angelenos, it’s almost an abundance - nay, an embarrassment - of riches!

For the Dodgers, it was their first time since 1988 ... and for OJ ... Justice came 13 years to the day since the jury had mistakenly acquited The Juice, then secretly met again, and they were appropriately apologetic. The public understood that, what with all of them having moved to Las Vegas over the past 13 years, there could be room for some confusion. All is now forgiven, jurors. Click and read: OJ JURY DELIBERATES 13 YEARS.

It’d been 20 years since the Dodgers had won a post-season series, much less a single game. The last time they’d swept a post-season series was in … 1963, when Sandy Koufax was still pitching for them. Lest we forget, though and after all, that these were still the Cubs ... Chicago's Cubs ... Now having gone 101 years without a World Series win. And with Chicago slumlord and Tribune Corporation owner Sam Zell obviously well more than halfway to his destruction of the Los Angeles Times, all of Los Angeles deserved to beat the pants off something, anything, from Chi-Town. But we also have plenty of compassion for the job Zell is also doing on his baseball team, the Cubs, his stadium, Wrigley Field (both for sale) and one of his other newspapers, the Chicago Tribune.

As much as I hate to say it, Dodgers’ Manager Tommy Lasorda took them to their two most-recent World Series title victories, in 1981 and 1988. I’m not much of a Lasorda fan, which puts me among a small group of Los Angeles baseball fans. If you think John McCain is the “mythical maverick” (and I agree), then Lasorda is the best example on earth of being “a legend in his own mind.” But enough griping … Let’s get on with it!

In 1981, they went all the way to win the World Series, their first time since 1965. A long time coming for those “Brooklyn Bums.” And in 1981 they were playing my all-time faves, the Yankees! Amazingly, we got tickets for the game that very same day, buying them in the late afternoon off someone who worked with my wife at the County Hospital, where she was a Nurse Practitioner. Extra benefit: The hospital was close to the stadium, just a few minutes by car. (Above, the Dodgers' Russell Martin hits his three-run double in the second inning at Chavez Ravine, on their way to a dominating, almost embarrassing, three-game series sweep of the Cubs; Below, manager Joe Torre hugs relief closer Jonathan Broxton).

That game 3 at Chavez Ravine (Dodgers Stadium) was when rookie Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela threw a complete and winning game against the NY Yankees. Yes, pitchers used to be expected to go the whole nine innings. My one-and-only World Series in-person game, and it’s lasted me this long, at least so far. Valenzuela remains the only pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award the same year.

The Dodgers’ pitching coaches went to the mound more than once as Valenzuela looked to be losing it, but Lasorda ultimately left the kid in the game, and he established himself as a hero, which he remains to this day in LA, Mexico and anywhere else he travels, and rightfully so.

OK, so I wasn’t at the 1988 World Series’ first game (Dodgers v. Athletics) when Dodger Kirk Gibson hit his instant-classic “Best of Reel” two-run home run, a pinch-hit, walk-on affair which dramatically won the game for LA. But I remember where I was …

Grabbing a late-night rare roast beef sandwich (and really, is there any other kind?) at the Stage Deli in the Century City (Los Angeles, for the rest of you) Shopping Plaza. My incumbent wife at the time was no baseball fan, but like everyone in LA, baseball fan or not, the Dodgers always counted for something special. And it tasted great! The sandwich, that is.

The whole restaurant went into hysterics (they had the game on all the TVs in the mammoth place) as Gibson hit and followed-through with what was obviously a home run from the second he placed bat to ball (Dennis Eckersley was pitching, and supposedly closing, for Oakland). (Photo above, All Cubs fielder Jim Edmonds can do is stare bleacher-wards as Russell Martin's ground rule double is lost in the ivy ... which is not a bad name for yet another movie about the Cubs, this one probably better as a made-for-TV event).

They - the Dodgers - are on their way!

GREEN, THEY'RE ALL GREEN! WELL, NOT REALLY ... BUT THEY ARE ALL FUN, AND FROM PARIS

Here's the green wrap on the Paris Car Show, 2008 version. As in yesterday's posting, we're taking a look at some concepts which might have a chance to see the light of day, and some production cars which bode well for the European and possibly the US markets. And we really like to show new small cars. It's fairly easy to "upsize" when fitting a smaller car into a larger "box," but it's "downsizing," trying to stuff a 3,500-pound car into a 2,500-pound box which is really difficult, and something European and Asian carmakers still seem much better at doing than any of the Detroit Three.

Ford's Fiesta ECOnetic is a clean, mean and green small production car, going on sale across Europe later this year. It will be the third Ford ECOnetic car after a 139g/km Ford Mondeo ECOnetic and a 115g/km Ford Focus ECOnetic. A US version of the Euro Fiesta should be available later in 2009.

Ford's ECOnetic models use non-engine-tuning measures including aerodynamic improvements, low rolling resistance tires, lower suspension settings and low-resistance engine lubricants to improve fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

Ford's second-generation Ka small car, still not slated for the US, will actually have higher CO2 emissions than the larger Fiesta. The most fuel-efficient Ka has CO2 emissions of 112 grams per kilometer. It is powered by a 1.3-liter diesel engine. The most fuel-efficient Fiesta is an ECOnetic version powered by a 1.6-liter diesel engine. The Fiesta ECOnetic has CO2 emissions of 98g/km. Ford likely will sell an ECOnetic variant of the Ka but has no launch date yet.

Click below to see and read lots more on the Paris Car Show's greenest and most-entertaining concepts and production cars.

OJ JURY DELIBERATES 13 YEARS; Foreperson apologizes, "What do you want? It took us this long just to figure out he's Black!"; Failed actor, ex-footballer demands second DNA test, then asks, "Do I get a trophy for setting that record?"

OJ Simpson, voted "Whitest Man in America" 60 years running - and perhaps the single greatest embarrassment to all humanity - is found guilty of numerous felonies following 13 years of juror deliberations. (Above, "Assume the position, OJ ... you know how to do that, right?" say Clark County Marshalls as they hook-up The Juice for a very, very long time ... What would you have given to have been one of them? And what kind of book contract could you and your new agent have put together?; Below right, Blast from the past - OJ's original booking photo the day after he murdered his wife, nearly beheading her, and a waiter from a local restaurant - This American Terrorist is now 61; how long do you think he'll last in prison, done-in by either a guard, a fellow prisoner(s) or by his own hand?).

It took a judge and jury, fresh and off-the-bench and from Las Vegas, of all places, to  do what the Los Angeles County District Attorney proved incapable of doing ... time and time again. Enjoy today's Photo Montage entitled, "Hmm ... Maybe this time it doesn't look too good."

PARIS CAR SHOW - GREEN, MEAN ... AND SALES ARE LEAN

Opening in the shadow of the worst auto sales in the US in over 15 years, the biennial Paris Car Show begins welcoming the public this Saturday and runs through October 19th at the Porte de Versailles in Paris. Two media-only days are held today, Thursday, and tomorrow.

We’ll feature some of the greener vehicles displayed there in this blog today and tomorrow. Most of the information below comes from the exhibiting carmaker press kits, but we toss-in our own thoughts on occasion, too - as per usual. And if you're a new visitor - Welcome! - And you can click on any of the photos to see them in a larger format.

No one expects the sales news to be any better or get any better anytime soon in Europe, as the show’s opening came with a warning, according to weekly industry journal Automotive News: New-car sales in western Europe likely will decline by between five and seven percent this year and by another 10 percent in 2009, said Thierry Dombreval, Toyota Europe's executive vice president. (Top - Ferrari California hardtop convertible; see the top down after the jump, Below, Honda's Insight Prius-fighters and Insight's interior).

Big show news: Honda's Insight hybrid will be around $19,000 when it hits showrooms next April; Insight will sport a 1.3-liter, four-cylinder engine and lightweight aluminum wheels, although it will drop the aluminum body panels used in the Insight's earlier two-seat incarnation.

Honda's all-new “Prius-fighter” called Insight (same name as their first hybrid sold in the US), along with a Nissan EV concept and the promise of a Renault EV production sedan next year are some of the green-oriented highlights of the biennial show.

There were plenty of the usual (and always crowd-pleasing) far-out concept cars and the first official look at the latest supercar from Ferrari, the California, while competitor Lamborghini hit the stage with a - hybrid? – concept called Estoque. Audi and Citroen also made green news, with a gasoline/electric hybrid, diesel/electric hybrid, the latest in stop-start technology and more all showcased among just those two companies.

Click below for more on the green - and not so green - Paris Car Show cars you want to know about.

US SALES UNDER 1-MILLION FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS

They say “start out bad news with a joke,” so: In Peter Gent’s “North Dallas Forty,” a football coach is talking with the team owner’s son about his father’s recent death and says, “When a man with your daddy’s money dies of cancer, you know there’s no cure.”

Translated to our Bush/McCain economy: When rich people buying and leasing cars and SUVs are paying high interest rates, you know there’s no easy credit.

US new car and truck sales plummeted to 965,160 last month, down 26.6 percent last month compared with September 2007, according to the Automotive News Data Center.

The last month when car and light truck sales were below one million was February of 1993.

General Motors even managed to look like the winner among the Detroit Three today as its sales totals, combined among their many divisions, dropped “only” 15.6 percent compared to September, ‘07. Cross-town rivals Ford lost over 36 percent and Chrysler sank almost 33 percent. (Above, A showroom needs new cars to bring customers in to see the product, even a futuristic car like the Tesla EV; Below, There it is again! Chevrolet's Volt in earlier, some say, better-looking days).

GM’s market share last month rose to 29.3 percent, the company’s highest in three years. But starting next week, GM plans to cut as many as several hundred US contract workers, in addition to cutting about 5,000 of their 32,000 salaried employees, a process already underway.

Even mighty Toyota and Honda found themselves in the loser column, Toyota slipping 32 percent and Honda 24.

Click below for more on September's dreary car sales numbers and what they mean to us all...Especially anyone who wants to a buy a new or even used car!